C1 DIFFERENTIATION Worksheet C

1 Find the gradient at the point with x-coordinate 3 on each of the following curves.
3
a y = x3 b y = 4x − x2 c y = 2x2 − 8x + 3 d y= +2
x

2 Find the gradient of each curve at the given point.

a y = 3x2 + x − 5 (1, −1) b y = x4 + 2x3 (−2, 0)
2 −1
c y = x(2x − 3) (2, 2) d y = x − 2x (2, 3)
2 −2
e y = x + 6x + 8 (−3, −1) f y = 4x + x ( 12 , 6)

3 Evaluate f ′(4) when

1 3
a f(x) = (x + 1)2 b f(x) = x 2 c f(x) = x − 4x−2 d f(x) = 5 − 6x 2

4 The curve with equation y = x3 − 4x2 + 3x crosses the x-axis at the points A, B and C.
a Find the coordinates of the points A, B and C.
b Find the gradient of the curve at each of the points A, B and C.

5 For the curve with equation y = 2x2 − 5x + 1,

dy
a find ,
dx
dy
b find the value of x for which = 7.
dx

6 Find the coordinates of the points on the curve with the equation y = x3 − 8x at which the
gradient of the curve is 4.

7 A curve has the equation y = x3 + x2 − 4x + 1.

a Find the gradient of the curve at the point P (−1, 5).
Given that the gradient at the point Q on the curve is the same as the gradient at the point P,
b find, as exact fractions, the coordinates of the point Q.

8 Find an equation of the tangent to each curve at the given point.

a y = x2 (2, 4) b y = x2 + 3x + 4 (−1, 2)
2 3 2
c y = 2x − 6x + 8 (1, 4) d y = x − 4x + 2 (3, −7)

9 Find an equation of the tangent to each curve at the given point. Give your answers in the form
ax + by + c = 0, where a, b and c are integers.
2
a y = 3 − x2 (−3, −6) b y= (2, 1)
x

c y = 2x2 + 5x − 1 ( 12 , 2) d y=x− 3 x (4, −2)

10 Find an equation of the normal to each curve at the given point. Give your answers in the form
ax + by + c = 0, where a, b and c are integers.
a y = x2 − 4 (1, −3) b y = 3x2 + 7x + 7 (−2, 5)
6
c y = x3 − 8x + 4 (2, −4) d y=x− (3, 1)
x

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C1 DIFFERENTIATION Worksheet C continued

11 Find, in the form y = mx + c, an equation of

a the tangent to the curve y = 3x2 − 5x + 2 at the point on the curve with x-coordinate 2,
b the normal to the curve y = x3 + 5x2 − 12 at the point on the curve with x-coordinate −3.

12 A curve has the equation y = x3 + 3x2 − 16x + 2.

a Find an equation of the tangent to the curve at the point P (2, −10).
The tangent to the curve at the point Q is parallel to the tangent at the point P.
b Find the coordinates of the point Q.

13 A curve has the equation y = x2 − 3x + 4.

a Find an equation of the normal to the curve at the point A (2, 2).
The normal to the curve at A intersects the curve again at the point B.
b Find the coordinates of the point B.

14 f(x) ≡ x3 + 4x2 − 18.

a Find f ′(x).
b Show that the tangent to the curve y = f(x) at the point on the curve with x-coordinate −3
passes through the origin.

15 The curve C has the equation y = 6 + x − x2.

a Find the coordinates of the point P, where C crosses the positive x-axis, and the point Q,
where C crosses the y-axis.
b Find an equation of the tangent to C at P.
c Find the coordinates of the point where the tangent to C at P meets the tangent to C at Q.

16 The straight line l is a tangent to the curve y = x2 − 5x + 3 at the point A on the curve.
Given that l is parallel to the line 3x + y = 0,
a find the coordinates of the point A,
b find the equation of the line l in the form y = mx + c.

16
17 The line with equation y = 2x + k is a normal to the curve with equation y = .
x2
Find the value of the constant k.

18 A ball is thrown vertically downwards from the top of a cliff. The distance, s metres, of the ball
from the top of the cliff after t seconds is given by s = 3t + 5t 2.
Find the rate at which the distance the ball has travelled is increasing when
a t = 0.6,
b s = 54.

19 Water is poured into a vase such that the depth, h cm, of the water in the vase after t seconds is
1
given by h = kt 3 , where k is a constant. Given that when t = 1, the depth of the water in the vase
is increasing at the rate of 3 cm per second,
a find the value of k,
b find the rate at which h is increasing when t = 8.

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